Will Fall Down
by Olivia-Ivy
Summary: 100 years of Hunger Games have passed and now it's time for the Fourth Quarter Quell. With this year's twist anything can happen. And that's just what the rebels are counting on.


**Once again doing a crossover-sort-of-not-really-I-just-don't-know-what-to-call-it. This time with Homestuck and The Hunger Games! Because those fuckers just don't kill each other enough! Title's from a Taylor Swift song, kudos to whoever can tell me which one.**

 **The POV is gonna be 3rd person all the way through, but the person will change. For now, let's get the ball rolling with everyone's favorite Egbert!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

John Egbert shouldn't be smiling. This is in no way a happy day. It's the Reaping. Except, that feeling of dread that had gripped him through the twelve previous Reapings he was present for was gone today. Because this was the Quarter Quell. Again, not supposed to be smiling. Quarter Quells are unpredictable. But it's because of that fact that John was smiling.

President English had announced (though not in person, obviously) that for the 100th Hunger Games, every child eligible to be Reaped would put their names in as many times as they are required to, per usual. What was different this year was how the tributes would be picked.

"As a show of appreciation for 100 years of obedience," head game maker and spokesperson on the president's behalf, Belonia Quatrian (more commonly known as Snowman for her cold exterior and interior and her lack of femininity), announced, "this year every name entered will be placed into one bowl. I will pick twenty-four names from the bowl, regardless of district, gender, or age. Volunteers may only volunteer for someone of their gender from their district. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

And in his favor they were. John had two slips in there among the hundreds of thousands. Just two! He's going to sleep easy tonight in his own bed. It's a two in a hundred thousand chance that he'll be picked.

John moved through the crowd of people. District Twelve didn't have a lot of people compared to other districts, but there was still a fair amount. He cut in front of people and ducked around them, apologizing all the way, until he was next to his best friend Jade Harley.

"Hey Jade!" John said. Some of the people around him gave him dirty looks and he lowered his voice. "How you doing?"

She smiled at him. "Better than I have been on other Reapings. You?"

"I'm great!" John answered. They were both from town, but neither looked it. While most of their neighbors had blonde hair, John and Jade both had dark hair. They had the fair skin common among townies though.

Both John and Jade were thirteen. They met when they were ten and had been best friends ever since. John's dad joked that the two of them were as close as a brother and sister.

They made small talk all the way to the square where the podium and large screens were set up. The largest screen in the middle showed another podium, this one in the Capitol. There was a large bowl filled with paper at the center. The other two screens showed shots of other districts' crowds. John couldn't tell one from another. Except his neighboring district, Eleven. Just about everyone there had very dark skin, so it was easy to figure out which image showed them.

John gave Jade's hand a quick squeeze for good luck before he joined the boys. His blood had been taken two days before, along with everyone else's, so that the paper could make it to the Capitol in time for today. He was in the middle of the thirteen year olds, so he didn't bother looking for her. He did crane his neck so he could see the stage.

The mayor, his family, the only Victor of District 12, and the Capitol escort were the only ones on stage. The escort looked different when she wasn't up there proudly choosing children to die.

On the screen showing the Capitol, Snowman walked up to the bowl. There was a microphone there that she tapped twice before speaking. "Happy Hunger Games," she said, though there was nothing happy about her expression or tone, "and may the odds be ever in your favor. First, a video about the history of the Games."

While the same video they played every year started playing, that feeling of dread gripped John again. He shook it off. _Two in a hundred thousand, two in a hundred thousand!_ he chanted in his head. It didn't really help, but he pretended it did.

"Well, lets get this show on the road, shall we?" There was no question. Snowman dipped her hand into the bowl and came back up with a slip of paper identical to the others. "Karkat Vantas, age 14, district 6."

John mentally smiled. Karkat. Beep beep meow!

All of Panem was silent for a second. Then …

"ARE YOU SH*TING ME?!" Yes, it was bleeped out. This country broadcasts children killing each other every year, but _god forbid_ someone swears!

All three screens turned to one image. John assumed it was District Six. There was one kid standing in the crowd. Everyone else has given him a wide berth, as if he was sick. The kid in question was breathing heavily and he looked pissed off to high heaven. John could almost see a vein in his forehead bulging. He had gray eyes and black hair that stuck up in weird ways. The clouds in the sky made his skin look gray.

"THERE'S GOT TO BE ALMOST A MILLION SLIPS OF PAPER IN THAT GOD DAMNED BOWL AND _I'M_ THE FIRST ONE TO BE PICKED?! F*CK THAT SH*T!" John assumed this was Karkat. Two Peacekeepers made there way to him, but he seemed too angry to notice until they were right next to him. " _DON'T_ TOUCH ME!" He yelled when they went to grab his arms. He pushed through them and stomped his way up to the stage in District Six, muttering profanities along the way.

The main screen turned to Snowman again. She seemed unfazed by Karkat's reaction. She just reached in the bowl again. "Nepeta Leijon, age 12, district 7."

The screens turned to a different crowd. A small girl with short brown hair and big green eyes was the one singled out this time. She had a blue hat that looked like a cat on her head. She walked up to the stage with a barely noticeable bounce in her step, which seemed more like habit than anything. This girl seemed ten, if that. Not old enough to be put through all this.

Once she was on the stage (without as much theatrics as Karkat) Snowman picked another tribute.

"Walter Vainshtein, age 15, district seven."

The same crowd was shown. A small boy with unbelievably pale skin stepped out of the crowd. The second he did, a deep voice was heard. "I volunteer as tribute." It was calm and it came from the back of the crowd.

The person who stepped out was strong. Insanely so. His arm muscles were as big as John's head, easily. He was probably six feet tall or taller. His dress shirt was too tight for him and it stretched if he so much as moved his arms more than an inch. He wore dark sunglasses that were cracked in some places.

One of the screens on the side showed Nepeta Leijon's reaction. She looked like she was about to cry. The new guy confidently strode up to the stage and stood next to her, making her look even smaller than before. She looked up at him with watery eyes and a slightly trembling lip. He stared straight ahead.

The District Seven escort hurried to the tributes and held out a microphone to the boy. "Please say your name, age, and district, for the record."

"Equius Zahhak, 18, district seven." Everything about that guy scared John. His calm demeanor in the face of imminent death was probably the most unsettling.

And the Reaping went on. John only remembered a few names and faces. Tavros Nitram, seventeen, District Eleven. He had a bad foot and walked with a cane. Terezi Pyrope, fifteen, District Five. She was very nearsighted and had dark red tinted glasses to help. Vriska Serket, seventeen, district two. She just plain creeped John out. Twenty tributes were called before it caught his full attention again.

"Jade Harley, age 13, district 12."

Everything around John stopped. Or maybe that was just him. All he could see was Jade bravely walking to the stage. He heard Snowman call two other people — Dave Strider, thirteen, district 1; Rose Lalonde, thirteen, district 8 — but he didn't stop staring at Jade. He had this whole inner monologue about how this was barbaric and wrong and it should have been anyone but her. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost missed Snowman's next words.

"John Egbert, age 13, district 12."

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUN! Okay, a few things:**

 **1.) Equius Nepeta is adorable and will forever be one of my favorite things.**

 **2.) The tributes are: Beta Kids, Alpha Kids, Trolls, Midnight Crew.**

 **3.)** **This is also being posted on my AO3 account, Olivia_Ivy**

 **Hope you enjoyed, I have like half of the second chapter written, tell me if I should continue.**

 **Write on!**

 **~Olivia-Ivy**


End file.
